January 2009

Super Bowl edition! Da da da DAH! Mike is currently running around buying various meat products for Fat Sundaythe Super Bowl party and there is a giant turducken in my refrigerator. No, we didn’t have any weight loss resolutions. Why do you ask?

The end of January is typically considered the most depressing time of the year. Progress has slowed to a crawl on those weight loss resolutions, bills from holiday shopping are showing up at your doorstep, and baby it’s cold outside with no end in sight! Here are three top spots to warm up on cold, dark winter nights.

Tabard InnThis upscale American restaurant feels almost European. Tucked into a sidestreet in DuPont among centuries old townhouses and in the shadow of St. Matthew’s Cathedral dome, you could easily convince yourself you were on a quick getaway to London. The bar and lounge of the Tabard Inn keep the fantasy alive. Club chairs and couches gathered in small groups sit underneath low, beamed ceilings and – when the temperatures turn cold – a fire burns in the fireplace. Walking into the Tabard Inn’s lounge, I always feel like I’ve stumbled through a magic wardrobe into a small town English pub. The restaurant has hosted its fair share of romantic meals in its day (it ws a favorite of Mike and mine when we were dating) but these days we’re just as content to take in some warm cocktails next to the roaring fireplace. The lounge includes waitress service so you can settle in and defrost from the harsh outdoors. If you’re feeling especially induglent, I highly recommend the hot buttered rum.

<<SPOILER ALERT: This post contains information about the outcome of tonight’s episode of Top Chef, along with pictures and video of Carla Hall and Spike Mendelsohn from tonight’s watch party at Good Stuff Eatery. Check them out after the jump!>>

We just received this email from Top Chef Spike Mendelsohn and his family at Good Stuff Eatery. In honor of Spike’s guest spot as one of the “Top Chef All-Stars” in tonight’s episode, Spike is inviting everyone to come out and join him at Good Stuff to watch the show.

Spike (with an occasional assist from Andrew, the other half of the original Top Chef Bromance) has been offering up live commentary throughout the season via Twitter (@BravoTopChef). Tonight you can bet he’ll be dishing not just about the current contestants, but also about his experience filming the episode and some other Top Chef related dirt he’s got in the works. We’re counting on a lot of love in the room for local girl Carla Hall – here’s hoping she can rally from last week’s performance to place back in the top ranks this time around!

Since we were already planning to watch tonight’s episode (and take part in the weekly Top Chef Live Blog over at Endless Simmer), you can expect to find Capital Spice reporting live from Good Stuff Eatery tonight. Come chat with us over at Endless Simmer or look for us on Twitter (@capitalspice) – we’ll be feeding you the choicest quotes from Spike and everyone else watching over burgers and shakes.

<<EDIT 10:19 AM – The Bacon Terrorist has reminded me that he actually suggested using the Big Green Egg when I first brought up the idea of doing a turducken. “You told me I was insane.” Since that sounds exactly like something I would say (and regret later), I hereby publicly apologize to the Bacon Terrorist for dismissing what I have now decided is an amazing idea.>>

Okay, I’ll admit I get a bit obsessed about things from time to time. Smoking a turkey on the Big Green Egg for our Fakesgiving dinner is a great example, but it’s not even the most recent. My excitement last month upon learning of a new pickle vendor at Eastern Market on the weekends (watch for a writeup soon) was later described by Elizabeth as similar to that of a six-year old on Christmas.

There are few things that have captured my imagination longer than the turducken. The word – at once descriptive and mildly off-putting – refers to a Frankenstein’s Monster of poultry. Take a deboned chicken. Stuff it inside a boneless duck. Now shove both of them inside a partially deboned turkey (leaving the legs and wings intact, of course, so the creation still looks like an average turkey). Add several types of stuffing, at least one of which usually includes sausage, and you’ve got a turducken.

If you’re like me, that description only makes the turducken sound more appealing (if you’re more normal, it probably makes you a little ill). Ever since I learned about the existence of the turducken – thank you, John Madden – I’ve been dying to try one. Give me a little bit of credit, though: I’ve recognized and respected the fact that the only possibly appropriate occasion for serving a turducken is a Super Bowl party. And somehow, the timing has never been quite right to attempt the cooking… (more…)

Whether you’re a Steelers fan, a Cardinals follower or just part of the 95% of all Americans who find the matchup for Super Bowl XLIII severely underwhelming, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be watching the big game this Sunday. And while you wait for the next Pets.com spot or <insert favorite Super Bowl ad here>, you’re probably going to be munching on something. Forget mom and apple pie – I can’t think of a combination more American than snack foods and football.

So what better way to bring back Foodie Magazine Day than with a twist on a junk food classic that’s sure to get attention at your Super Bowl feast?

In the January/February issue of Everyday Food, we came across a recipe for loaded sweet potato skins that we just couldn’t pass up. Eager to see if they lived up to the glory that is even your most average ‘tater skin, we decided to give them a try.

Close your eyes. Imagine yourself at your favorite Indian restaurant. What’s the first thing you think about? Chances are you’ve flashed back to the aromas and the flavors – that unique bouquet of spices that gives Indian dishes their distinctive character.

It’s far less likely that your first thought was of the atmosphere or the cocktail menu – unless your favorite Indian restaurant happens to be Rasika in Penn Quarter. This modern take on subcontinental cuisine delivers on the traditional flavors (curries, chaats, tandoori stews), but Chef Vikram Sunderam takes diners in some very unique directions, as well. He has to – the upscale decor and the creativity of the bar creations could easily overwhelm a more restrained menu.

As part of our effort to see as many of the top Oscar-nominated movies as possible, we decided to check out Slumdog Millionaire at the E Street Cinema last week. And because it had been far too long since we enjoyed Chef Sunderam’s wonderful palak chaat, we quickly decided that there was nothing wrong with making it a themed evening by starting with dinner and drinks at Rasika, just a few blocks away.